““You put yourself out there in the truest way you can and hope others do the same. You’ll connect or you won’t, but you did what you could.””
As I try to get down to the nitty-gritty and format this website, I find myself sitting in frustration. Sitting in the hotel room at Bloomsbury, I find myself impatiently waiting for the site to load. Perhaps it is my American ways or merely my own privilege. Still, I can’t stand the idea of wasting time just waiting when there is so much to see, so much to do, so much to experience…
This week, we’re walking around the streets of London, visiting the places that inspired Charles Dickens to create such wonderfully relatable characters within A Tale of Two Cities. We’re exploring the lively city where Charles Dickens spent almost 4 decades of his life. We’re visiting all the places of historical importance, along the places he mentioned, and even walking through what used to be his house, now called the Charles Dickens Museum.
Only having a week in London, I feel myself pushing to do as much as I can, as quickly as I can– trucking along with cup after cup of tea to keep me functioning enough to check the next thing off the bucket list. Unfortunately, the heat wave got the best of me the first few days. I found it a little harder to adjust than I expected, with the time and currency change and being a little homesick.
The gate holding Queen Elizabeth II safe– The flag at the Buckingham Palace was raised… the Queen was home!
Royal guards facing their Sentry boxes (side note: royal guards have to be at least 5’10”– from behind the fence, they barely look like they’re 5 feet!)
Even so, the places we visited this week kept me going– the rich British history, the beautiful buildings, and the head of Oliver Cromwell. We saw the flag raised for Queen Elizabeth II and visited Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey, where Dickens was buried with other influential writers. We also visited the Charles Dickens Museum (as mentioned before), where the famous opening line of A Tale of Two Cities lies on its walls.
Below are some of my favorite places we visited.
Cromwell v. Charles
At the House of Commons, we have a statue of Oliver Cromwell, who played the role of Lord Protector from 1653 to 1658. On the other side of the street, parallel to Cromwell is the head of Charles I. As he was beheaded, the statues are shown facing each other, almost as if they’re still facing each other off today. This historical image resonates with you– it’s almost as if you can hear the crowd groaning as Charles is executed. Yet, as history goes, you can also see the consequences of the execution, both good and bad.
Manette Street
How can I leave out Manette Street? Found in the Soho area, we find the garden and the house the Manettes supposedly lived at. There used to be an arm-and-hammer there, but walking around, we unfortunately could not find a replica.
Les MIS Showing
Not wanting to spoil any of the book Les Misérables for myself, I refrained from watching the movie. But having finished the entire book, I was excited to see how they would condense 1456 pages into a 3-hour performance.
Personally, I loved the performance. It’s always interesting to see how the producers interpret and spin around the story to create their own work of art. In particular, the Thenadiers in the performance bring a light air to the audience. I found myself laughing countless times due to their comical conduct, whereas in the book, I was more than frustrated by their sinister treatment of the people around them. If you ever find yourself near a showing the Les Mis, I strongly encourage you to check it out. However, if I hadn’t read the book before watching, I would have been incredibly confused by the plot.
Overall, the class so far has pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. Besides having moved from Korea to America when I was 8, I have not traveled out of the country, let alone by myself. Yet, I still find myself having a great time. I’m exploring all these new places, immersing myself in the history of Britain, and learning about the posh British culture that doesn’t mind waiting an hour everyday for their lunch. I’m excited for the days to come and hope I can get the most out of this class.
Now… on to Paris.